Belated News: Enoteca Toscana Wine Bistro in Camarillo Closed May 1st

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Enoteca Toscana Wine Bistro in Old Town Camarillo closed on May 1st of this year. Somehow I never got wind of this one. The food was very good there in my opinion. My only beef with the place was that it was a bit on the pricey side. In fact, I specifically recall dining there several years back. We ordered something light, like a panini, along with a cup of minestrone soup. The soup was delicious. But when we received the bill, we discovered the soup was like $10. For a cup, not even a bowl. We kind of looked at each other in shock, thinking it had to be a mistake. But it wasn't. We asked. That was the price. That delicious $10 bowl of soup prevented me from other going back I hate to say...though if anyone offered to buy me lunch there, I'd certainly have gone. In any case, I know Enoteca will be missed.

Ruby's Shake Shack at the Malibu Pier "Under Transition"

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UPDATE: Ruby's never made a return. It became the Malibu Farm Cafe.

It had been awhile since I ate at Ruby's Shake Shack on the Malibu Pier and as I walked down the pier toward the diner today it surprised me how uncrowded it was. Sure enough, the place was empty. At 5 p.m. on a perfect summer Saturday.

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I asked the clerk across the way at the the Malibu Beach Supply Co. (which by the why has some pretty cool stuff for sale and rents fishing poles for just $5 an hour on weekends and has bait).

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And she said Ruby's has been closed since last September. The Ruby's Diner website indicates "Closed for the Winter Season and under transition. Reopening date is currently unavailable."

Stay tuned...

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Ventura County Star Reports That Acapulco Mexican Restaurant in Ventura Closed This Week

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The VC Star reported yesterday that Acapulco Mexican Restaurant at 725 S. Victoria Avenue closed its doors yesterday, August 5th. I called the restaurant to confirm today. Someone actually answered...and confirmed that yes, Acapulco is indeed closed. No indication of a successor tenant. Acapulco has no other restaurants in Ventura County...the closest locations are in Woodland Hills and Northridge. Hasta la vista, Acapulco :<

Ventura County Star Reports That Chuy's Thousand Oaks Has Closed

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The Chuy's located in the plaza where Whole Foods Market is located (northeast corner of Moorpark Road and Wilbur in Thousand Oaks) closed effective June 30th. Well there's still the Chuy's in Simi Valley and Camarillo. Not to mention the brand new Qdoba that opened down the street at Janss Marketplace.

See pictures of the vacated Chuy's at the VCS Eats Facebook page at www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150249402481561.326363.141616711560&type=1, including the eviction notice. RIP.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks to Close July 18th

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Thanks to a tip from a friend via Facebook I learned that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at The Lakes at Thousand Oaks is closing as of tomorrow, Monday, July 18th. Bummer. This is the location next to California Pizza Kitchen. Coffee Bean joins Ben & Jerry's and Blizz Frozen Yogurt as The Lakes Alumni.

But the good news is that there are other 4 other CBTL locations in town, including the The Oaks mall. Also locations in Simi Valley, Camarillo and Calabasas. For specifics, visit http://coffeebean.com/location.aspx.

Ventura County Star Reports That Roxy's Deli in Thousand Oaks is Closing but Seeks Another Location

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The post-mortem: Here is what used to be Roxy's as of June 28, 2011 :< Not a single remnant of Roxy's is left. We do hope they find another local home.

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Originally reported June 24, 2011: Yikes! After 20 years, Roxy's Deli is closing its doors**, reports the Ventura County Star in this article. A fixture in Thousand Oaks, Roxy's has definitely been encountering increased competition over the last 5 to 10 years with the addition of Brent's Deli, Pickles Deli and Nate N Al Deli among others. Apparently a new restaurant is on its way. In the meantime, Roxy's owner indicates they are seeking another location in the area. So all is not lost...perhaps we will retain Roxy's and see another new restaurant in town...

**The VC Star article indicates TONIGHT (Friday) but Roxy's told me they are open through brunch this coming Sunday morning.

Simi Valley Marie Callender's Location Shuttered on Sunday, June 12th

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As reported by the L.A. Times and other news sources, Marie Callender's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection and has shut down 31 locations nationwide. This impacted the Simi Valley Marie Callender's location at 20 W. Cochran Street.  It did not impact the locations in Ventura and Camarillo.

It seems to me that as part of the bankruptcy reorganization plan, MC's should change its name. The name Callender's is so frustratingly difficult to spell correctly without looking at the name several times that it should be changed IMHO! :> Come on, for most of us, not just in school, but for our entire lives, we struggle to correctly spell the word "calendar" with an "a" at the end rather than an "e" (i.e. calender) but I still see this word misspelled ALL THE TIME!

So there's good ole' Marie Callender's, who not only spells it counter to our decades of schooling and corrections, with an "e," but then continues to confound our brains by adding an additional "l" to the name.

If nothing else, change the name to Marie Calendar's and make it easier for us to spell it without getting brain freeze.

Yah, yah, I know the place was founded in Long Beach in 1948 by people with the last name Callender. Don Callender named it after his mom, Marie. What a great son! But the chain was sold in 1986, so 25 years and a bankruptcy filing later, maybe it's time to reinvigorate the name. Whatever it takes to make it easier to spell.

That is all. Conejo Joe's brilliant idea of the day for a company in bankruptcy.

La Salsa Out, Loteria Grill Soon To Be In at The Promenade at Westlake

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Noticed the other night that La Salsa is no longer at The Promenade at Westlake and that Loteria Grill is slated to open soon.  Loteria Grill has locations at The Los Angeles Farmers Market, Hollywood and Studio City. They serve Mexican cuisine and look pretty good to me! La Salsa fans, not to worry. They still are open at The Oaks mall.